Silane compounds having protected functional groups are useful as a modifier for polymers, a coating additive, an adhesive, a silane coupling agent, a surface treating agent or the like.
For instance, Japanese Patent No. 3,414,134 describes an N,N-(bistrimethylsilyl)aminopropylsilane compound whose amino group is protected with trimethylsilyl groups and which is useful as a modifier for amino-modified silicone oils.
JP-A 2004-18795 describes a compound having a protected primary amino group and an alkoxysilyl group, i.e. an N,N-(bistrimethylsilyl)aminopropylsilane compound. This compound is used to introduce the amino group into a living polymer terminal group of styrene-butadiene obtained by the anionic polymerization. The amino group-bearing styrene-butadiene rubber prepared using this compound as an anionic polymerization terminal modifier is useful as a base polymer for tire formulated with silica, carbon black or the like.
Such a silane compound having protected functional groups is also useful as an additive for coatings or adhesives. For example, when a silane compound having a protected amino group is added to an epoxy resin composition, a stable composition is obtained as not showing any reactivity in a moisture-free or blocked system. On contact with moisture, de-protecting through hydrolysis takes place, thereby providing a one-component curable composition of the type wherein the amino group is regenerated to cause curing to be initiated.
In this way, on use for modification of anionic polymerization terminal or addition to the coatings or adhesives, the silane compound having protected functional group is able to prevent the reaction of the protected functional group. If the protected group is subsequently de-protected, the functional group can be regenerated and introduced in a quantitative and efficient manner. However, these compounds enable only one functional group per molecule to be introduced. This may leads to a reduced degree of development of the effect attained by the introduction of the functional group. Hence, there is a demand for a modifier or an additive ensuring that the effect of the introduction of functional groups is more likely to develop.